More Than Bread

Send me a Text Message!There is a booklet which has been used by God to lead many people to believe in Jesus. It's called the "The Four Spiritual Laws." Maybe you've read it. The first law is this, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." I believe that law is true, especially looking back. But what if the flip-side is also true? God loves you and has a difficult plan for your life.Not too many Xtian best-sellers incorporate that into their title.  Not too many songs about the God who plans to make our lives difficult; and if he really loves us and is really pleased by us...well get ready for really difficult. But perhaps that's what Jesus meant when he said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted..." Don't skip this one...just because you don't like the title. :)

Send me a Text Message!As we come to the last of eight beatitudes we arrive at what I call the “Thanks-No-Thanks” beatitude. And listen I'm not saying that Jesus saved the best for last, I even hesitate to say that it's the most important blessing, because they are all so important. Remember it's a process, and as a journey, all the steps are necessary. But this one, #8, in our world today, it's so key that understand it's a step to becoming the light of the world. We cannot shrink back from this last step, if we want to be part of Jesus' Kingdom-Story. And as you listen, listen for the challenge that will help us persevere in persecution. It will come in the form of a prayer. "God cross out the "I" in my life." 

Send me a Text Message!Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they will resemble their Father in heaven. Blessed are the peacemakers for they will remind people of their big brother Jesus. Are you a peacemaker? Is the family resemblance growing? Take a moment and think of a hard relationship; someone who has hurt you, disappointed you. Do you look like Jesus to them? Will a point come when they can say to you...this is what I want to hear people say to me: "I see Father God's face in you. I see Jesus' heart in you. I see the fullness of the Spirit in you."I mean, is there anything the world needs more than peacemakers in this moment?

Send me a Text Message!What do we need more in our world right now, than peace? We are so quick to draw lines, so easily prodded into conflict. We need peace. I think everyone is seeking it, but few attain it, and keeping it is all too rare. But here's the problem; we have difficulty finding peace, because we are looking for peace in the absence.  That's how we define peace, right? Peace comes from absence; the absence of noise or the absence of storms, or conflict. But when Jesus talked about peace, he had in mind the Hebrew word shalom. Shalom is well-being in the widest sense of the word. Shalom is the blessing of God whch sums up all other blessings. Shalom is more about fullness than emptiness. Let's stop looking for peace in the absence and start seeking His fullness. Peace doesn't come from absence...

Send me a Text Message!Perhaps the first step to purity is seeking God. As we seek God, we come near to Him, and discover how much He loves us and our hearts  begin to burn for Him. In fact to be pure in heart Soren Kierkegaard said is to want one thing, to be undivided.  Or we have said it this way, "To be pure in heart is to have an unrestrained affection for God.  So let me ask you what is restraining your affection for God? When God comes close, He begins to burn away the junk that is restraining our affection for Him. But don't expect the burning to be entirely comfortable. He is a refiner's fire. It has to happen to prepare the way, prepare our hearts. It's not optional so, so we have to decide, when God comes close, will I let the fire burn?

Send me a Text Message!So let me ask you, when it comes to purity, what images come to your mind? What images, what thoughts, what emotions come to mind and heart when I say that we are diving again into purity?  There is a call to purity woven throughout scripture. It's all over the place. Let me tell you upfront. The primary issue of purity is where am i seeking life? If I primarily seek life in my job, or in friends, or in the adrenaline rush of adventure, or in my marriage, or in the weekend, or in success, or in accumulating all the stuff my hands can hold, sooner or later my quest will lead to an impure heart. Where am I seeking life?

Send me a Text Message!Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. I want to see God. I believe that our world today desperately needs people who seek and see God.  Jesus said that the pure in heart will see God. The purity of heart that He is seeking is both a quality of heart and a quantity of heart. In this episode, we will dive a bit into the idea of a quantity of heart. In the Greek the word for purity in Matthew 5:8 is the Greek word Katharsos. It literally means "unmixed." For example 100% pure gold is unmixed gold. A pure heart is not only sinless. It is also single; it desires one thing.Pure hearts are 100% all-in for Christ. It is not just obedience, it is passion. At the end of episode, I'll ask you to fill in the blank of the sentence, "I am devoted to God and _________. What goes in the blank for you? How much of your heart's passion is preoccupied with the blank?

Send me a Text Message!Mercy is what Erika Kirk showed last weekend at the memorial for her husband  Charlie. The choice to forgive is mercy in action. And in so many ways from my  perspective it was the highlight, the most holy moment of the memorial. I closed  the last episode with the question, "Does our mercy show?" And I challenged you  to take a survey, find out people's perceptions of Xtians?" If you haven't done that yet, you should. Some labels will be unfair. But listen carefully to how rarely our pictures are painted with the brushstrokes of grace and mercy. I wonder if the Spirit might be saying in this moment; "Let your mercy show?" So in this episode, we will look at a mercy-story of Jesus that leaves me with the question, "Am I a mercy-giver?"

Send me a Text Message!I am so in need of mercy. Have you ever felt that way? I think that's why..actually I know that's why I love this next step in the blessed life. It's the mercy blessing. Blessed are those who are merciful for they will be shown mercy. In some ways I think this is the first "blessed are" that really reveals the heart of God. The Mercy-Blessing describes the heart of Father God. Christ is what mercy does. I mean God's not really poor in spirit. He's not broken or desperate. God doesn't mourn, or if He does it's a temporary response to the brokenness of the world, but it's not who he is. The meek are meek because they have no strength but God is omnipotent. God doesn't hunger for righteousness. He is righteousness. But mercy? Oh my goodness, that's who God is. Mercy in one of God's most fundatmental attributes. In this episode we will dive into the Mercy-Blessing!

Send me a Text Message!So this episode, isn't current. I didn't preach at Calvary last week, I was visiting my mom and dad and celebrating my niece's wedding. In fact, might even be on my way home as you listen to this. So this isn't actually last weekend's sermon at Calvary, but in the past I have preached on Matthew 6:19-24. It is a crucial passage, so here is a message I gave from a couple of years ago. It hits the themes of generosity and simplicity and how those practices will help us get our hearts ready for home... AND ready to thrive now!So we are keeping the rhythm of back and forth between Matthew 5 and Matthew 6. The next episode will get us back to the beatitudes.

Send me a Text Message!In the last episode we ended with the question, "What is righteousness?" Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. So what is righteousness? That's a key question right? I know what food is and I hunger for it. I know what success is, I have hungered for it, along with friendship and affirmation. But what is this righteousness that we should hunger for? We're going to deepen our definition of righteousness as we look at the beatitudes as not just a listing of eight different blessings, but as a pathway, a process for finding a life that thrives, a Kingdom-Life. So are you hungry for life? If you are, let's dive in!

Send me a Text Message!The beatitude for today is, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied." So the question that I will ask us is "Are you living a satisfied life?" Are you satisfied with what you have? But for the purpose of the notes here, I'm going to print the prayer I close with, just in case you want to pray for more than you have.  It's a prayer from A. W. Tozer; the response of a heart with a deep longing for God. O God, I have tasted Your goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am  ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want you. I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Your glory, I pray that I may know You indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.  Say to my soul ‘Rise up my love and come away.' Then give me the grace to rise and follow You, up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus' Name, Amen. Oh and...in episode #11, I called us to a season of fasting and prayer. In my weekly newsletter I included a guide for this season. If you would like it, and don't get my weekly email, you can email me at dan@calvarysc.org ---

Send me a Text Message!Jesus' mountain-top message is a blueprint for a life that thrives. And as I've been studying it this time around, I've also run into a number of pastors and theologians who think of the Sermon on the Mount as basic training for people heading into a spiritual battle. Knowing what his followers were going to face in the days and years to come Jesus took them on the mountain and said, “This is how you fight my battles.” Blessed are the meek. Not much like any battle strategy we'd consider on our own, but I believe it's crucial to understanding how we need to respond to the spiritual battle in our days. And there is a spiritual battle taking place!So the question for this episode is, "Are you seeking meek?"

Send me a Text Message!Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth! Be honest, when is the last time you prayed for meek? Are you seeking meek? What comes to mind when you paint a picture of meek? Well meek is weak right? Blessed are the weak for they shall become the doormats of life and everyone will walk all over them. In fact Webster defines meek as TOO submissive. Blessed are the spineless, for they never stick up for their rights. Blessed are those who never take a stand. Webster calls them spiritless and deficient in courage. But Jesus calls them blessed.Perhaps as much or maybe even more so than a heart that leans toward mourning today, we need a heart that leans towards meek. But maybe, meek is a bit different from what we think? Maybe it really is true, mighty are the meek.

Send me a Text Message!Hey Folks, for those of you who download early, sorry this is coming a little bit late. It's the message from yesterday (Sunday) on Matthew 6 and it's all about fasting. Fasting focuses our hunger on Jesus. Fasting is a humble cry for Jesus. Fasting is a hopeful cry for more. But I also believe that there is a sense of urgency that fasting brings, that is desperately needed in our times. We need a heart that urgently desires more God, now, for us and others! We are hungry for more, sometimes we just don't realize it.

Send me a Text Message!Have you ever asked God to give you tears? There is so much pain and suffering and brokenness in the world today. But do we mourn for the brokenness? Perhaps we need to pray that God would help us be tenderly moved.  When we die and stand before Jesus and he asks us, "How did you feel about the suffering around you?" What will you say? Jesus felt enough cmpssn for Jerusalem to weep. He wept for every broken person in Jerusalem. He wept for their loss. He wept for people broken by sexual sin and financial greed. He wept for people who didn't love their neighbors and wept for hearts filled with unforgiving bitterness. He wept for people missing God's dreams for their lives.Blessed are those who mourn? Perhaps we need to ask God for tears. 

Send me a Text Message!When Jesus showed up, on that mountain-top, the people who gathered around were going through a time of deep darkness. While some Jewish leaders  experienced an element of prosperity and security, most of them were politically, religiously, and economically oppressed by the Roman Government. High taxes, religious restrictions, crucifixions were common. Most people knew someone who had been crucified. And then Jesus shows up.  Remember the report from the last part of Matthew 4? Jesus is proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom; healing people, exhibiting the power of God and telling people about the blessings of heaven breaking on earth. And the news spread and crowds gathered. There were crowds of people who had been broken and experienced loss and given up hope. People who wondered if God was gone and how far they werefrom the blessed life and I think Jesus was telling them, "Don't quit, you are not so far."

Send me a Text Message!Blessed are the poor in spirit, the desperate, the broken. That's Jesus' first step to the blessed life. Blessed are those with open hands because they have nothing in them. That's hard stuff.  It's not easy for me to hear.  But do you know who this is good news for? This is good news for those who are broken and desperate; for those who just don't know where to turn anymore.  I have good news for you. You are so close to a life that thrives on God's blessings. Don't try to hide your brokenness just because the world can't see that it's the first step on a path to true life. Surrender to the King. Open your empty hands and receive heaven's blessings.I am broken and blessed? Well if not yet, you are so close!

Send me a Text Message!As we dive into the beatitudes, we immediately run into the word "Blessed." The word is used 9x's in the first 11 verses of the Sermon on the Mount. The Living Bible translates it, "fortunate, or happy."  Eugene Peterson in The Message uses the word "lucky."  What is the essence of lucky?  It's getting something you don't deserve.  In the Greek language, the word blessed is the word makairos. How do you describe, the blessed life? Makairos? What 2 or 3 things would you like to happen in your life, where if they happened, you would consider yourself "makairos."  Blessed? What is the blessed life? (And how do we get it?)

Send me a Text Message!At Calvary we are currently making our way through Matthew 6-7, it's the last series of three that we are doing on Jesus mountain-top sermon. So every 5th episode of this series will by the teaching that I just gave the day before this episode drops. So it's also a bit longer than the other episodes.In this episode, we are doing two things... painting a picture of God as our Father and making the challenge to live our one and only lives for Him, the One, our Father in Heaven! Live for ONE!

Send me a Text Message!Jesus' sermon on the mountain connects the gospel with the Kingdom of God. The gospel is good news and here's the deal... The Kingdom of God is good news for  everyone, even people who don't believe in Jesus. It's good news because when people get it and become Jesus-apprentices; when an outbreak of the Kingdom happens; people start loving better and serving more and surrendering deeper. It's good news for your neighbors.  It brings better Sunday afternoon tips to waiters at the Waffleshop. The Kingdom of God in you, will be good news for the people that you work with, whether they are muslims, athiests or part of the LGBTQ+ community.  In fact, if the Kingdom of God hasn't become good news to the people around you, it may not have come to you. If it isn't good news for our families, our neighbors, the people at work or school, maybe it hasn't really bcme good news for us. Because when it comes, it's good news for everyone!

Send me a Text Message!You have to understand, when Jesus came on the scene announcing that the Kingdom of Heaven was here. Now.  The people understood him to say, "It's a new day. I know life has been hard, oppression, poverty, crucifixions every day. Death  and disease are your constant companion. But listen to me, don't quit; a new day is dawning!" Something's coming; like a great light in the darkness, in the land of death's shadow a new day is dawning. It's better than you know or can even imagine. You are on the threshold of a new day that will usher in new life that is as different from what you have now as darkness is from light. Don't quit. You'll hear me say this over and over again in this episode, because I think it's at the very heart of this message. Don't you dare give up!

Send me a Text Message!You are seen, known and loved by Jesus. See in the end, the greatest blessing, the full description of the blessed life, it's not about lacking nothing, it's about having a shepherd. It's not about fearing no one, it's about having a champion. It's not about having a banquet, it's about being invited by God. It's not about having a house, it's about being part of a family.  It's about being pursued and found and loved by Jesus. It's not about having the gifts of the giver, it's about being had by the giver of the gifts and if we have nothing but we are had by God, we have everything!You are seen, known and loved by Jesus!

Send me a Text Message!I wonder if this might be true of you... "Somewhere along the way, you quit believing that God's blessing matters, or maybe you quit believing that God reallywants to bless you. But actually I believe that God wants us to be known as the people who are blessed by God. He is inviting you to get blessed! In this episode and the next, before we dive into the beatitudes, we are going to look at Psalm 23 to describe the blessed life!

Send me a Text Message!So starting today we are going to hang out in Matthew's version of Jesus' sermon on the mount. Each Monday (or if you aren't listening as they drop, every 5th episode, I'll leave you my most recent message from Calvary's teaching series going through Matthew 6-7...and in between I'll review Matthew 5...or at times given an addendum to Matthew 6-7. So anyway, the whole focus for the next 40-50 episodes well be Jesus' sermon on the mountain.This episode is all about living different!

Send me a Text Message!The book of James has some of the most amazing prayer promises and principles of prayer. But more than anything it is all about making our lives a prayer to God. The practical wisdom of James gives us a picture of the life of prayer. In this last episode, I will read through the book with a few comments, encouraging you to listen, learn and more importantly lean in, one last time...with the prayer....God, make my life a prayer to you!

Send me a Text Message!In Romans 8 we find that creation groans, (travails) we groan, even the Spirit of God groans in expectancy. See when we dive into the gospel and begin to understand the glory that awaits those who believe in Christ, we can't help but groan for those who don't. The gospel causes us to groan for the redemption of all creation. It causes us to travail for the salvation of all people. It causes to groan for glory to be revealed in our families, on our campus, in our city. So let me ask you, "Are we willing to travail in prayer? Travailing prayer is not something you just work up. It requires hope, humility and hunger. Which one needs the most work in you; hope, humility or hunger? 

Send me a Text Message!In this episode we are going to talk about a type of prayer that I believe is urgently important in our day. I believe that God is stirring up people globally and locally, a fresh move of God on the way. But I think He is still looking for people who will travail in prayer. I must have 100 books on prayer. Only a few of those written in the last 2-3 decades have even a chapter on travailing prayer. If you want to read about travailing prayer you have to go to the old books birthed in revival. And yet, the Bible is filled with examples of people who wrestled with God, travailed, groaned and cried out in prayer to see God's purposes birthed in their lives and the world around them. So I have to ask us, Who are the people in our day who will travail in prayer?

Send me a Text Message!How can I get God's attention? That seems like an important question when it comes to prayer right? If I want to be a person whose prayers produce great results, I think I need to be a person who can get God's attention. This episode will give us a picture of the people whom God goes out of his way to give them His attention.If you have ever asked the question, "How can I get God's attention?" the answer is "Be a tsaddiqim." What's that? Listen and find out.

Send me a Text Message!That's my question, well one of my questions in this episode, "Does prayer matter if God doesn't care?" I think most of us listening, believe that God could do what we've prayed for, but we have some problem believing that He would. In other words, we're not sure if God cares. And let's be honest, prayer is just shouting in the darkness if God doesn't care.But at the risk of giving it away, I'll simply say this, "God cares." In this episode and the next we'll talk abit about what God cares about.

Send me a Text Message!Are you connected? There are so many things in this world that can cause us to disconnect and isolate. But together is better. Thta's the message of James, over and over and over again. The heart behind his words to the scattered is simply,  "Together is better." It is. Together is better. To the scattered, do everything you can to preserve together. Don't get scattered in hard times. Don't suffer alone. Pray with others. Don't let hard times scatter us. If you are going through a difficult time, don't just take it to God, take it to God together. Because, say it with me one more time, "Together is better!"

Send me a Text Message!Jon Ortberg tells about the time they moved from southern California to Chicago. They spent a lot of time with their kids, just talking through the difficulties of moving. One night, after several months in Chicago, Jon was tucking his daughterin. She had been getting into more trouble than usual but he hadn't connected the dots. That night, the dam burst and tears spilt out.  "Daddy, it's so hard living here, nobody knows me.  I go to a new church, a new school, and everybody already seems to have friends. I don't belong. I don't have anyone I can talk to, nobody wants to have lunch with me. Daddy, I feel like a little mouse that doesn't have a hole."Maybe you can relate? It's not so much about having a hole as it is having a community. And community is such a major part of our life of prayer. So my question is, "Are you connected?"

Send me a Text Message!In James 5, James introduces us to one of his spiritual heroes. (At least that's how I view what's taking place.) Elijah was just as human as we were but look at what God did through him, through his prayers. In this episode we are going to find that while Elijah was looking for a miracle...the miracle God chose to give him was community, a connection.Are you connected? When times are tough, together is better!

Send me a Text Message!A life of prayer is not just about we speak, it's about what we hear. When it comes to a thriving life of prayer, the word of God is the first word. Our prayers are the second word. Our best prayers come in response to His Words. James mentions the man Elijah in James 5 and Elijah heard the still small voice of God. So let me ask, if God was whispering to you, could you hear him?  What if we can best find the presence of God in the stillness? If so, then maybe we should stop Looking for God where He is not.Can you hear God's whisper?

Send me a Text Message!So if you listened to the last episode, you know what this one is. It's the audio from my message at Calvary last Sunday (August 17). By the way if you listen as these drop, today is my birthday and like I said in the last episode, Lynn and I are taking a few days away this week for a little bit of r&r before we dive into the fall season!But my message from Haggai fits a theme in James 5, the theme of persevering, and finishing well. In chapter 1 & 2, Haggai talks about former glory and future glory. At the end of message I give a generosity challenge and a prayer challenge, no matter where you live, I hope you will find a way to join me in both.And I pray that the CWOW prayer that I leave with you, will become part of your prayer life! A CWOW prayer for future glory!

Send me a Text Message!Don't you dare give up! In James 5:7-11, that's James message to those who are scattered. Don't give up. When you're at the depths of down, don't give up. When hard times outnumber the good times, don't give up. A turn of the page is ahead and the best is yet to come. So how do I keep going in hard times. James gives us some finishing well tips in this episode. And really thats James challenge. Finish well. Don't flame out. Don't quit. End your life more in love with Jesus than you started. Pursue God. Set your hope, embrace your purpose, strengthenyour heart, find mentors, follow examples. But no matter what, don't you dare give up!

Send me a Text Message!Have you ever noticed that when people look back on their lives and you ask them what helped you to grow spiritually; where were those points in your life when God showed up in deep ways and shaped your heart to be more like Jesus?  When did you develop that deep unshakeable hope that you have that no matter what  happens, the best is yet to come?Have you ever noticed how often their answer describes a hard-time, a wilderness journey, a pause in the pit, a season of suffering, a crucible experience? It's almost enough to make me pray, God put me in the fire, send me on a wilderness journey. I need some heart chiseling. If that's you, let me encourage you with these words, "You might well be on the hard road to amazing joy."

Send me a Text Message!If there is a museum in heaven, if there are collections of priceless antiques in heaven, the highlighted pieces that will be viewed with the greatest honor will not be those containing the artifacts of times when the Christian faith brushed up against fame, power and success. I think it will be a collection of ordinary stuff representing some of the most amazing moments that most of the world never knew took place: a cup of cold water given to a refugee; a meal cooked for a sick neighbor; a handwritten note given to a struggling friend; the first check a family wrote to sponsor an orphan in Myanmar...and a widow's mite.  And do you know what that means? That means there's a place for you...in the Generosity Hall of Fame!

Send me a Text Message!James has some pretty tough, maybe even harsh words for rich people in James 5:1-6. But let's be honest, most of us aren't rich. Or are we? Before (or after, either is ok) you listen to this episode, go to the website, “givingwhatwecan.org." There's a lot of good and interesting information on the whole site, about the good we can do if we are generous. But for now just scroll down about halfway until you get to the little box labelled “How Rich Am I?” I'll warn you this is how rich am I compared to the rest of the world; not compared to my neighbors, not compared to the richest people in the US, but compared to the world. Compared to my friends in Myanmar; compared to the folks who live at your local "out of the cold" shelter are you on the global rich list?  

Send me a Text Message!Yep, you're right. It's not even the book of James. But I felt like the message this weekend that I gave on Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego meeting God in the fire, was worth giving to more people. So rather than moving onto James 5, this one is going all the way back to the Old Testament book of Daniel. It's the message I gave this weekend. If you listened to it all ready last weekend, maybe God wants you to ponder it one more time. :)Sometimes God saves us from the fire, sometimes He meets us in the fire. But we never go through the fire alone!

Send me a Text Message!Most of us think of sin as the bad things we do, but it's also the good we fail to do. If you read this before you listen, we're focusing on James 4:17, but I'm going to take us in a little bit different direction. So before you listen, grab a rag, any kind of rag, just grab a rag. If you can't, then just imagine you have a rag in your hand.I want us to practice saying this, "We all have rags." Go ahead, say it now. "We all have rags.  If you think about it, rags hold an interesting place in our lives...on the one hand they epitomize a lifestyle we seek to escape. We want to move from rags to riches. On the other hand, you may have grown up with a rag or two that at some point became very precious to you. What's that got to do with the good we fail to do?Well if you listen, you'll figure that out, beause we all got rags. 

Send me a Text Message!Here at the end of James 4, to some degree James is echoing the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:19-34 and from all those words, the statement that stirs up my heart is this, "For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also."  For where your treasure is, your heart will follow. Isn't that James concern as well? You are doing all this planning, trying to control all these variables, why? To gain treasure. But the problem with our treasures is that our treasures determine the placement of our hearts. So here's my question, "Where is your heart?"

Send me a Text Message!Remember from the last episode; there is a difference between making a judgment and passing judgment. We make judgments every day. Live is filled with judgements. If you live in my community and you want ice cream, it's Dairy Queen, Myer's Dairy or the Creamery. Gotta Make a judgment. Some of you are thinking, Do not judge...eat-em all!"Every day we make judgments, it's part of life. Some of those judgments are moral judgments. But there's a difference between making a judgment and passing judgment. Passing judgment means you look beyond what a person says or does into their very heart as though you know them intimately and can judge them absolutely. But when we judge, we seperate, we isolate, and we lose our empathy. But Jesus says, "Not in my Kingdom!" 

Send me a Text Message!In many ways, James 4:11-12 and Jesus words in Matthew 7, about judging others are words that are so deeply needed today. In the Greek language the word used for judge, has within it the idea of seperation. When we sit in judgement of someone we seperate ourselves from them, and seperate them from our community. They become our untouchables. Does that sound familiar? Does it sound like something that might be happening in our communities right now?Who are your untouchables?

Send me a Text Message!Remember James -- old camel knees -- so committed to prayer that he developed camel callouses on his knees.  His whole book is saturated with prayer, but here in chapter 4, he lets loose with some of the most important prayer-principles in the New Testament, specifically 3 rules of a great prayer life. In the last episode we focused on the first rule of prayer. You have to ask. In this episode it's, "Love God" and "Battle for Grace." 3 Rules of a great prayer life!

Send me a Text Message!For those of you getting tired of the first half of James 4, we're getting close to moving on. But here's what I've found throughout my time in the Word, sometimes we move on to new words too quick. Sometimes we need to let the Words of God soak, saturate and marinate. Sometimes we need to hold them up in the sonlight and look at them from a variety of perspectives like a diamond or a sculpture. Sometimes it takes more than one reading to glean all that we should glean on the first pass. And James 4 is one of those sometimes passages.In this episode, we'll ponder James diagnostic question for an un-praying life. "You have not because you ask not." What is it that sometimes makes the prayer life so difficulty? I'll give you some diagnostic questions to dig into that personally.

Send me a Text Message!The last two episodes focused on James 4 have been challenge heavy. This one is encouragement heavy. Here is the simply message from God, that I think God wants you to hear. "I miss you." Do you believe God misses you? I think we have this idea that God is love so God has to love us. But I'm not sure he likes me. Miss me? Nah, with so many people in the world who love him deeper and follow him better than I do, He probably doesn't even notice my absence. But the capacity of his heart is off the charts and there's just something about love that desires to be with...So what if God misses you?

Send me a Text Message!When I think of the state of the church of America, actually let me personalize it, when I think of the state of my own heart. Here is the thought that comes to mind. "It's worse than we think and it could be better than we can imagine." Some of you may not be ready to hear me say this, because it requires a softness of heart, an inclination of our souls to God. It requires a posture of surrender and brokenness and humility. It requires a choice to chase Christ with all our hearts. But if we are willing to do that...what is worse than we think can become better than we ever imagined. 

Send me a Text Message!Sometimes I look around me at the beauty of creation, family and friends around me, good things happening in people lives, and answers to prayer. In moments like that, do you know what's hard to believe? It's really hard to believe that we are living in a war zone. Every night before I go to bed, I google the war-news about Myanmar and the Ukraine. I don't have to imagine their war zone. But sitting in my office, it's hard to believe I'm in a battle. But that's the message of scripture. It's not a battle against people, that I'm talking about. It's a different kind of war. And sometimes the reason why our prayer life is anemic and our lifes are not thriving, is because we are fighting the wrong battle. What is your battle?

Send me a Text Message!In Luke 8, Jesus tells a story that in many ways sums up James 3. He shares a parable about seeds and soils and a 100 fold return in the harvest. But really it's all about words, and hearts, and a great return on investment in the lives of peole. It's about having the kind of heart that overflows with life on the people around us. So I can't help but ask the question, what is the texture of a good heart? That's wht this episode is all about.

Send me a Text Message!What if I told you, that I am a stock guru? And if you will invest $100 using my method you will gain $10,000 by year end, a 100 fold increase.  What would you say? The promise of a 100 fold return on investment seems almost too good to be true.  But if it's true -- it's good.  Isn't it? Apply that to any area of your life, education, exercise, a 100x return on investment sounds too good to be true. But if's true, it would be good, right?In this episode we are looking at a story that Jesus told about 100x gains on investment. An investment of His Word into your heart; are you looking for a 100x return?